Guardian of the Gate
by Pogokitten
Summary: Three generations have passed since the Fourth Great Ninja War and the five great nations are at peace. But is it really? With the help of a certain friend of her's, Koneko has uncovered something sinister. She must work together with someone she wished she'd never met to stop the threat. She needs all the help she can get, but she might not even be able to count on her team mates.
1. Chapter 1

The Next Generation

Chapter One Kori Mizore

Mizore stood next to Rabinda as she glanced up and down the bridge. It was almost six in the morning. Where were the others? They were told to meet here at five.

"Where are they? I mean Koneko is usually late but Sensei never is." Rabinda said.

Rabinda was a shy mousy girl with lavender hair and light green eyes. She wore a red sweater and jeans printed with designs. Her Cloud ninja head band was tied around her waist like a belt. She looked so anxious Mizore thought she might be sick over the side of the suspension bridge.

"This is ridiculous. Sensei most likely has a good reason for being late, but Koneko should know better. She's, no _we're_ sixteen now! We are not genin anymore. She can't act like a twelve year old." said Mizore. He was getting tired of Koneko's tardiness. They were chūnin now, journyman ninja. She had to understand they weren't rookies anymore. He looked down the bridge. It was a spectacular site. With the thick fog and wind they might have been on a cloud. They could have been considering they were about ten stories up.

It was always so cold in the Village Hidden in the Clouds. The land of Lightning in General was a cold place because of its many mountain ranges and high altitudes. No one was out yet. It was too cold and early for the regular villagers to be up, and most of the other ninja were out on missions by now. Mizore lounged against the railing of the bridge. He was skinny and pale with ruffled silver hair. His face was proud with ice blue eyes. He wore a form fitting gray hoody and sweat pants. His headband tied around his forehead.

Rabinda was checking her ninja art bag and medic kit, and Mizore was thinking how nice a hot chocolate would be right now, when Asashi sensei solidified next to them. Mizore had seen a lot of weird Kekkei Genkai or bloodline traits but Sensei's was one of the weirdest. His clans' ability to break their bodies down into water vapor and back was useful in battle. Asashi sensei himself was a tall black haired man with startling blue eyes. He wore the standard white flak jacket and under armor of a Kumogakure ninja with his headband around his forehead.

Rabinda squeaked and dropped her paint box at his sudden appearance. Asashi sensei frowned.

"Sorry I'm late something came up. Rabinda you should always keep your guard up. If I had been an enemy shinobi you would already be dead." he said.

She nodded and began picking up her paints. Asashi sensei looked around at their group. Mizore wondered how long it would be before he became a jonin like Sensei. Jonin were the elite ninja of the village. Maybe when he became one he'd be powerful enough to-

"Where is she?" Sensei asked breaking into Mizore's thoughts, noticing their group was short one. Asashi sensei looked mad already. Not a good sign.

"Um well…"started Rabinda

"Not again! She can't just run off and do as she pleases!" Sensei roared cutting Rabinda off. She flinched away as if struck. Mizore looked at him surprised. Usually Asashi sensei lost his patience with Koneko about half way through the day not before he even saw her.

"Doesn't she realize how important her training is? One day we're going to need her strength." Sensei said mostly to himself. Mizore didn't understand why all the higher level ninja, and the Raikage, _the freakn' Raikage_, all panicked when Koneko was off playing hooky. He felt a familiar burst of jealousy. What made Koneko so special anyway? She was just a cheeky, lazy, dropout ninja. It wasn't like she was related to any of the eight Raikage like he was. In fact she didn't even have a family. But whenever she went missing (which was often) everyone acted like the dynamo's daughter had been kidnapped.

"Um Sensei? I'm sure Koneko's just overslept again. Why are you so worried, did something happen?" asked Rabinda. But Sensei just swore a little and told them they were going to go train without her.

Chapter 2 Tsume Koneko

The Kunoichi in question was asleep twenty five feet in the air. She slept on the limb of a tree in the position of a lazy cat; on its stomach with its limbs dangling down at the ground. Her long brown hair had two spikes that looked like the pointed ears, and it tapered down into two long ponytails that reached her waist. She had blue marks on either of her cheeks that looked like triangles pointing towards her nose. She looked like she might be cold in only a blue and black turtle neck vest and jeans. She wore her ninja headband around her head and strapped to her back she had a katana. On her exposed arms were blue tattoos that circled her arms like stripes.

Koneko snored softly as she slept. She was blissfully unaware of her angry mentor on the bridge. The large red wood she slept in was in the middle of the training ground. She had been practicing there most of the night and had passed out in the tree. Koneko had been hoping to impress her teammates with a new jutsu, a ninja technique, to show them.

Sometime later Koneko's team walked into the training area and instantly spotted her in the tree. Asashi sensei's jaw dropped when he saw his student where he had least expected to find her. He stomped over to the tree, his other students trailing behind him and stopped at the base. He gathered chakra in his feet and began walking vertically up the tree. When he drew level with Koneko he took a huge breath and screamed:

"JUST WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Koneko jumped like she'd been electrocuted. She hissed in surprise and fell towards the ground. Her teammates looked on in terror, but Asashi sensei nodded like hitting the ground after a twenty five foot drop was an appropriate punishment for being late.

Half-awake Koneko's instincts kicked in. She twisted in midair while activating her Kekkei Genkai. Her finger and toe nails grew into long, curved, cruel claws like that of a tiger. She hit the ground on all fours, rolled to take the impact, and stayed there poised to pounce on whatever had attacked her.

She was covered in leaves and sap with huge pine cones glued to her butt. She would have looked funny if she couldn't have ripped a persons' throat out with her claws. When she saw it was Rabinda and Mizore she relaxed.

"Hey guys. I'm not late am I? I mean Sensei isn't here right?" She asked as she stood up and sheathed her claws.

"You-how….fell-huh" Rabinda wheezed out. She looked like she might faint. Asashi sensei jumped down and landed behind Koneko.

"You're late again." He said.

"Damn." Sighed Koneko as she turned around to face her sensei smiling nervously. As she brushed tree sap and pinecones off herself.

"Care to explain why you weren't on the bridge to meet us?" Sensei asked with a dangerous smile on his face.

"You see I was um you know practicing out here last night and uh fell asleep in the tree." She told him.

"A likely story." He said.

"It's true!" She responded angrily

"Okay prove it. Have a sparring match with Mizore."

"Asashi sensei! That's no fun he can't beat me at hand to hand combat." She whined.

This was a sore spot for Mizore. It wasn't that he was bad at taijutsu. Most of the _jonin_ couldn't beat Koneko at hand to hand combat. She wanted a real challenge not an armature.

"I don't care. You will practice taijutsu." Asashi sensei told her. "But first I need to have a word with you. Rabinda and Mizore please give us a moment." He said and led Koneko behind a large boulder.

Chapter 3 Hana Rabinda

As Asashi sensei walked away with Koneko, Rabinda glanced at Mizore, he looked ticked off. Rabinda thought it might be because of what Koneko had said about not wanting to spar with him. When their eyes met they came to a silent agreement. As soon as Koneko and Sensei disappeared behind the boulder the two of them crept up to it to hear what they were saying. Rabinda hoped Koneko wasn't in too much trouble.

"-you are! You can't just wander around doing what you like! The festival of Waru Nakunatte, the day that we chase away evil, is tomorrow, and you better not pull a stupid stunt like last year when you kidnaped and dyed every single cat in the village red." She heard Sensei say.

"Aww come on that was hilarious." Koneko said.

"It was not! The genin and Academy students wasted two days chasing after red cats! "Asashi sensei puffed. Then he continued. "Anyway, have you talked to it at all? Is it willing to work with you?" He asked. Koneko was silent for a moment.

"_She's_ a _her_ not an it, and I see no reason I have to tell you that." She said tightly.

"You what?! Look, I'm in charge of helping you master your ability but if you don't even tell me what you've been doing I can't help you." He said.

"Maybe I don't need your help."

"We'll talk about this later, just go train." Asashi sensei said coolly.

Rabinda and Mizore hurried back to the tree before they could get caught.

"All right you two get into position for a match." Sensei said as he came around the boulder. Mizore and Koneko took up positions opposite each other. The training ground was a huge open field dotted with trees, rocks, and craters from other ninja practicing there. Koneko looked really mad like someone had just spit in her food. Mizore looked sick to his stomach yet determined to beat her.

"Ready? Fight!" Sensei said.

Mizore ran at Koneko he began throwing punches and kicks, but none of them could connect. Koneko was too fast and flexible. She would either doge, block, or twist out of his way. After about a minuet of this they jumped apart.

"Damn." Mizore panted.

"Is that really all you've got? Well its' my turn now." Koneko said.

She lunged at him pulling feints, twisting as if she didn't have a spine, and breaking his guard. Every single one of her strikes hit him. It was all Mizore could do to stay on his feet. Mizore tried for a kick, but moving so fast Rabinda could barely see it, Koneko ducked under his kick. Now behind him she countered with her own round house kick to the back of his head. Mizore dropped like a sack of potatoes, and lay face down on the ground.

"That was boring. Aren't you the one always bragging about being the son of the seventh Raikage? How pitiful." Koneko said.

"Shut your mouth! At least I'm not some lazy ass freak!" Mizore accused getting to his feet.

"What did you say? You arrogant bastard!" Koneko said her eyes full of rage.

"You heard me. You haven't even got any real friends."

"Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!"

"Let's see you try!"

"That's it!" She yelled. She made the hand signs: Saru, Tora, Inu, Hebi, and drew her katana.

"Koneko stop!" Asashi sensei yelled.

Koneko pointed her sword at Mizore.

"**Fūton: Gōon Byakko!**" (Wind style: Roaring White Tiger) She shouted. Wind swirled around her blade and took on the shape of a tiger. It was so powerful the grass in a fifty yard radius was flattened, and the trees teetered back and forth wildly. Her face livid, she thrust the katana and sent the tiger soaring towards Mizore. The howling of the wind even sounded like a tiger. Rabinda had never seen this jutsu before and Mizore looked just as surprised as she was.

"**Hyōton: Reitō Doragon**!"(Ice style: Frozen Dragon) yelled Mizore. It was lucky for him his reflexes were so fast. His hand signs were so fast Rabinda couldn't even tell what they were. The air turned freezing like winter time. Ice crystals formed into the shape of a Chinese dragon and flew straight at the wind tiger, roaring. In midair the two collided. The blast was so powerful, standing twenty yards back Rabinda fell on her butt.

When the dust settled, the ground around them was covered in snow. Koneko was still standing, but covered in a fine layer of frost. Mizore was on the ground with some scratches on his body. Koneko's jutsu must have been stronger, she realized. It had shattered the dragon and lost most of its strength when it reached him, but still had enough power to throw Mizore back at least ten yards.

"Koneko! What the hell do you think you're doing launching an attack like that at a comrade?" Asashi sensei screamed. He rushed at her and tackled Koneko. She made an _oof _sound as she hit the ground, the wind knocked from her lungs. He picked her up and held her in headlock. But she went limp in his arms, her head hanging. Rabinda rushed over to check on Mizore.

He had some shallow scratches on him and a nasty lump on the back of his head, but he seemed alright. She pulled out her medical ninja bag and began treating his injuries. He groaned as she worked and focused his eyes on her.

"Uuuuhhh….Rabinda? What just happened?" He asked dazedly. Rabinda glanced nervously at Koneko and Asashi sensei.

"You were going to kill him, weren't you?" Asashi sensei asked. A chill ran down Rabinda's spine. That attack certainly could have killed Mizore. There were huge gouges in the ground around him, and trees behind where he lay were slashed to pieces. Could she really have been trying to kill him?

"No." Koneko said so quietly Rabinda almost didn't hear.

"Don't lie. You wanted to murder him." Asashi sensei's voice was hard as steel and cold as ice. He threw Koneko down to the ground where she landed with another _oof_. Koneko stayed there not looking up at him. Sensei turned to Rabinda.

"How is he?" he asked.

"He's a little beat up. Nothing life threating, but I can't really tell till we get him to the hospital." She told him.

"That's good. Call some help to take him there I have to deal with Koneko." He said relived and turned around, but Koneko was gone.

"Damn her." He said. He rushed from the training field to look for Koneko. Rabinda got out her communicator and called the hospital. They told her the stretcher would be there in about five minutes. Rabinda hardly heard them. Her mind was buzzing with thoughts. Had Koneko really been trying to kill Mizore? She had always been a trouble maker, but she never seriously hurt anyone in her mischief. And if she wasn't guilty why had she run off?

Chapter 4 Tsume Koneko

Koneko looked out over the village from her perch. She had picked the tallest tower in the village, the old lookout tower. It had been called the Falcon's Nest, but had fallen into ruin when the city expanded and it was no longer needed. Nobody came up here anymore. The building was structurally unsound. The sun was setting over the village in a fiery explosion of reds and oranges, making the buildings appear stained with blood. She had to be higher than the Raikage building which was embedded in the side of a mountain. She liked it up here, so calm and peaceful. Koneko closed her eyes and let the breeze chase away her troubled thoughts.

"Can you sense it little kit?"

Suddenly Koneko was no longer on the tower top. Instead she stood in a huge cave. Stalagmites and stalactites dotted the floor and ceiling, some had joined together to make pillars. It was damp with pools of water on the ground, and the wind was roaring somewhere in the distance. In front of her there was another smaller cavern. The front was covered with stalagmites and stalactites woven into cage bars of sorts. Two huge mismatched eyes, one green and one yellow, glared at her from the gloom of the prison.

"Well?" Asked a voice. It was deep and rumbling, but distinctly female. Like a lioness had learned to talk.

"It's not often you come talk to me," Koneko paused and looked up into the calico eyes. "Matatabi."

There was the sound of claws scrapping on rock and Matatabi stepped into the light. She was a huge cat, at least four stories tall. She had two long tails and black claws that glinted in the light. But the most striking thing about her was the fact that she was made entirely out of blue and black flames. If you looked at her head on she was easy to see, but if you didn't focus your eyes right at Matatabi she seemed to disappear.

"You have not answered my question cheeky Kit." She rumbled.

"What am I supposed to be sensing?" Koneko asked.

"You are my host, yet you do not feel the dead's restlessness in the air? I know you have little talent for it, but surely even you are not this hopeless." Said the cat.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't sense anything. I'm just a human. You're the gate keeper of the Passage of the Dead, not me. How should I be able to feel that stuff?" Koneko retorted angrily.

"Such insolence! Do not take that tone with me cheeky little kitten! I am the Two Tails, and I demand respect. I called you here to warn you not to insult you." Said Matatabi rising on her hackles.

"Could've fooled me." Koneko said. The Two Tails growled. Koneko sighed. She really didn't need more on her plate right now.

"Fine, what's the problem? I thought you could control the spirits of the dead, so why are they acting up?" She asked.

"Although it is true I have some extent of power over them, I am not able to control them completely even when not sealed in a jinchūriki, such as you. They are stirring because someone has opened the Seishin Tsūro, the Spirit Passage, to the Mortal World. " Matatabi said.

"The what now?" Koneko asked, confused.

"It is a path leading from this life to the next. It is supposed to be a one way road. Spirits can go through, but cannot return. Somehow though, something has forced the passage open both ways. Now spirits may come and go between the worlds as they please. I am the guardian of the Seishin Tsūro, and the guide to those departed souls stuck in your world. I also help those that have gotten lost on their way to the next world. I do not hold as much power over the dead as you think." She answered.

"Okay, so what does this mean exactly?" Koneko asked. The dead could come back to their world? Was that a good thing or a bad one? What if heroes from the Fourth Great Shinobi War came back to life? What if the bad guys came back too?

"It could mean the end of your mortal world as we know it."

Chapter 5 Funanori Asashi


	2. Asashi's Worries

Asashi had once been an easy going man. He was always laughing, relaxing, and taking things slow. He never stressed and thought life had a way of working itself out. That was until he met Koneko four years ago. It was his first time as a mentor and he was so excited and proud. He was on his way to meet his new students when the Raikage called him to his office for a word. It was then he found out the truth about his new student Tsume Koneko. Ever since that moment his life had been nothing but worry. He was so stressed out that he had given himself an ulcer.

Now he had even more stress. The jonin had called a meeting that morning, and he had been late to meet his students. He was afraid of what trouble they might cause without him there. But more worrisome than that was what they had discussed at the meeting. Asashi recalled the conversation as he raced through the village looking for Koneko.

The jonin had gathered in the council room of the Raikage building. Twenty five of the best jonin of the Hidden Cloud. Only those who knew of the sealed Two Tails. The most senior jonin was a man named Tsuyoiken Futan. He had chocolate brown skin, a shaved head and a bushy white mustache. He was so buff that he put body builders to shame. He stood seven feet tall and was the Raikage's right hand man.

"We have called an important meeting to talk about new developments in the world and the future of the village." He told the room. When nobody said anything he continued.

"Recently a new group of rouge ninja have appeared on the border. We don't have much information about them yet. All we know is that they are a small powerful group of about ten."

At this there was muttering around the room. Asashi managed to catch snips of conversations.

"What could they possibly want?"

"They better not come anywhere near the Cloud or I'll kill the bastards."

"You don't think they're after something here do you?"

_ Great now just more trouble to add to my ulcer_. Asashi thought. He was thinking he knew what the next matter of business was going to be about and he wasn't disappointed.

"Alright that's enough of that. Now we need to talk about the jinchūriki of the Two Tails. How is her development coming along?" Asked the senior jonin with a pointed look at Asashi. All eyes in the council room turned to stare at him. He swallowed nervously, and stepped up to face them.

"Well… I'm not really sure how her work with the beast is going, but her ninja skills are coming along nicely." He told the room, as he wiped sweat of his brow.

"What the hell do you mean you don't know? You're the beasts' guardian how can you _not_ know?" One of the jonin called out.

"Yeah it's your job to keep track of the thing."

"Have you been neglecting your duty?"

"Asashi what is the meaning of this? You are supposed to help the girl tame the Nibi. Have you been ignoring your duty?" Tsuyoiken asked. The large man's eyes were full of disappointment. Asashi felt he had to defend himself in front of his angry peers.

"I have tried to help Koneko, but she refuses to let me. She will not even allow me to enter her subconscious with her to meet the Nibi."

"Asashi I know you wish to respect her privacy and feelings, but she is a powerful and dangerous source of power. If she cannot control the Two Tails she is a danger and a threat to the village. If she is unable to hold sway over the monster we will have no choice but to extract the beast and place it in another." The muscular man told him seriously.

Asashi gasped. If they were to remove the Nibi it would kill her. Were they really willing to go that far just because she could not use the power freely? It wasn't like Koneko went on rampages through the village or hurt anybody. His head spun with this new information.

"How long will you give me to train her?"

"Three months. If you cannot do it in this amount of time we will remove the Two Tails and seal it in the Raikage's eight year old granddaughter."

Asashi's ulcer just about popped then and there. He listened to the rest of the meeting in a daze with only one thought bouncing around his brain. _There is no way I can get her to take control of the Nibi in only three months. They are going to kill her._


End file.
